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Pleiotropic prebiotic for liver disease

Nature Microbiology volume 8, pages 1944–1945 (2023)Cite this article

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Lactulose is used to treat patients with hepatic encephalopathy but this prebiotic can also increase intestinal Bifidobacteria, thereby reducing systemic infection, growth of multidrug-resistant bacteria and mortality that often accompanies chronic liver disease.

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Fig. 1: Lactulose alters gut microbiota composition and metabolites in patients with CLD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine I, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Herbert Tilg & Heinz Zoller

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  1. Herbert Tilg
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  2. Heinz Zoller
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Correspondence to Herbert Tilg.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Tilg, H., Zoller, H. Pleiotropic prebiotic for liver disease. Nat Microbiol 8, 1944–1945 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01510-y

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